Business Florida 2018 - The Regions
Affordable and Appealing
Tampa Bay
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY (continued)
Manufacturing
RIVERVIEW Metrohm USA, a subsidiary of a Swiss precision instruments manufacturer, broke ground in early 2017 on a 90,000-sq.-ft. North American headquarters in south Hillsborough County. Anticipated completion: early 2018.
LUTZ Mettler Toledo, an international supplier of precision scales and instruments for laboratory, food retailing and other industrial uses, has relocated its Safeline product inspection division and 320 employees to a new $30-million, 250,000-sq.ft. manufacturing plant in Pasco County; 185 additional jobs are anticipated.
TAMPA Aero Simulation, a manufacturer of flight simulators for military and commercial aircraft, has relocated within Hillsborough County to a 60,000-sq.-ft. facility north of the Florida State Fairgrounds; 40 jobs are expected.
TAMPA Locally based NewSouth Window Solutions broke ground in April 2017 on a 234,500-sq.-ft. structure to accommodate its corporate offices, three manufacturing facilities and a retail factory showroom. Anticipated opening date: January 2018.
PASCO COUNTY Superior Precast, a manufacturer of precast concrete products for road construction and a supplier to the Florida Department of Transportation, is opening a manufacturing facility in 62,777 square feet of industrial space at the Dade City Business Center; 100 administrative and manufacturing jobs are expected.
Key Players
Jabil | St. Petersburg
PGT Industries | Venice
Sun Hydraulics | Sarasota
Tropicana Products | Bradenton
Logistics/Transportation
TAMPA Quality Distribution Inc. (QDI) has relocated its headquarters and 250 employees to a 45,000-sq.-ft. space in Tampa’s Channel district. A global supplier of liquid bulk transportation, logistics and depot services, QDI works with many Fortune 500 companies, including Procter & Gamble, Dow Chemical and PPG Industries.
DAVENPORT A 2.2-million-sq.-ft. Walmart distribution center built to support the retailer’s e-commerce operations in eastern Polk County is fully operational and continuing to generate jobs. The facility currently employs close to 600,
and Walmart plans to hire up to 1,000 more over the next year.
RIVERVIEW BlueGrace Logistics, which has created nearly 300 jobs at its south Hillsborough County headquarters since 2015, plans to create another 300 jobs over the next few years. BlueGrace is a provider of customized transportation management solutions with more than 60 U.S. locations.
ST. PETERSBURG Hashtag Fulfillment has leased an 80,000-sq.-ft. fulfillment center and plans to add 50 employees in 2017 to its current staff of 100. Launched in 2014, Hashtag offers direct-to-consumer third party logistics and reverse logistics services for e-commerce businesses.
TAMPA Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is building a distribution center and thrift store on a 22-acre parcel of land near the intersection of U.S. 301 and the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. The facility is expected to open in November 2017 and create up to 70 jobs.
Key Players
Amazon | Ruskin, Lakeland
Blue Grace Logistics | Riverview
O’Reilly Auto Parts | Lakeland
PLS Logistics Services | Tampa
At 5,000 acres, Port Tampa Bay has the largest footprint of Florida’s 14 ports. In 2016, it handled 37.5 million tons of cargo — one-third of all cargo moving in and out of Florida — and 813,800 cruise ship passengers. New developments include: a 134,000-sq.-ft. cold storage warehouse; the first cruises from Tampa to Havana in 50 years; and a master plan to add deeper channels, an expanded auto import terminal and a petroleum storage center.
